Maturing Gauff finding the consistency to match her talent, loving the clay

When Coco Gauff burst on to the world scene at Wimbledon in 2019 with a stunning and history-making victory over Venus Williams — she became the youngest player ever to win a match in the women’s draw — expectations about her future were sky high.

At 15 years old, it looked like tennis had uncovered another superstar — the heir apparent to the Williams sisters, an African-American who had the world at her feet.

Suddenly people were expecting Gauff to win Grand Slam events despite the fact that it was unrealistic in a strong era in which Serena Williams was still mopping up slams and even though the last teen to win a Grand Slam on the women’s side at that time was a 19-year-old Svetlana Kuznetsova at the US Open in 2004.

Gauff has worked hard, mixing tennis with speaking out on politics and completing her high school diploma, (she graduated in May). Her tennis, too, has graduated from something with kinks in its game — especially a serve which has yielded too many double-faults — to the point where on Tuesday she will play in the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros for the second year in a row, taking on fellow American Sloane Stephens.

Since Gauff’s win over Venus Williams, Bianca Andreescu, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu have all won a Grand Slam before their 20th birthday. Gauff’s progress has been slower but steadier, to the point where arriving at this year’s French Open she was ranked 28th after peaking at No 15 in April.

In the time since that Wimbledon breakthrough, she made the last 16 just twice outside of Paris, once in Australia and again at Wimbledon — where her flat groundstrokes have even more effect.

There were some who questioned why she has not hit the top sooner but in many ways, Gauff’s ascent toward the top of the sport has been more reassuring. How often have players flattered to deceive only to fall by the wayside, burned out or disillusioned with the sport?

In Paris, she’s added shape to her shots, with more topspin on her forehand, which serves her well on clay. As good an athlete as anyone out there, she moves well on the red stuff. At 18, she’s been through a pandemic, she’s been inside the top 20 and she’s improving all the time. She’s right where she needs to be.

To put her rise in perspective, Gauff is one of just two women — US Open runner-up and fellow Paris quarter-finalist Leylah Fernandez is the other — since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009 and 2010 to reach two slam quarter-finals before the age 20. Now she is through to a slam final after beating Martina Trevisan on Thursday at Roland-Garros. The teenager will battle Iga Swiatek for the title this weekend.

Still, as Gauff herself has explained this week she continues to be a work in progress.

“You’re never going to play your best tennis in a slam every moment of the match, but I think I’m getting better and better, and I think mentally I can’t ask for much more from myself in each match,” she said when asked to grade herself on her performance and progress.

“In the first set (against Elise Mertens in the fourth round) I had a lot of points that I probably should have closed out, and made some errors on balls that I probably shouldn’t have. I just stayed in it. I didn’t not trust myself because I started to make those shots in the second set.

“To make it to the top of the class, I think just keep doing what I’m doing and not freaking out in those moments. I think that was the biggest lesson I learned last year in my quarter-final match, I had a couple set points and I think I freaked out when some of those points didn’t go my way. Today I didn’t freak out when a couple of those important points didn’t go my way.”

Thoughtful in press and equally smart on the court, Gauff moves in famous circles. The 18-year-old this week revealed she had received congratulations from former First Lady Michelle Obama on her graduation.

“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” she said. “Since when we met her I haven’t really talked to her or anything since. I’m super thankful for that message. It was after my doubles match and I saw a mention…Michelle Obama. I was like, Oh, what did I do?

“I think what really meant a lot, it wasn’t about the tennis, it was about my education. So I think that meant more to me the fact that she posted about that.”

I think it’s important as a young player that we show vulnerability and show that it’s okay to make mistakes

Coco Gauff

Gauff has also become a role model to younger kids. It’s something she still finds strange but a role she’s also embracing.

“For me, I think it’s crazy, really. I was thinking about that the other day. I signed (autographs) in Madrid and here I took a picture with some girls and they were freaking out after I left. I went down the stairs. I could still hear them screaming about it, and I was like that’s so crazy to me.

“I kind of teared up, because the fact that people feel about me in that way. I always try to tell people — sometimes people say, I’m nervous to come up to you, or I saw you, and I get DMs sometimes, I was scared to say hi.

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“I’m just a person as well as you are a person, and I’m going to treat you the same. So I think for me being a role model for some people is crazy, and I’m super grateful and it’s something I will never take for granted. I will try to put forth my best effort with how I act on the court and how I act off the court.”

Gauff said it was also important to show she’s only human. If she’s angry, that’s part of life, and sometimes it will come out on court. The key is keeping the angry moments short and recovering composure quickly.

“Obviously I’m going to make some mistakes and have some bad moments, but I think for me as long as I show that…it’s with good intent…like last year I broke a racquet here, and people ask did I regret it. No, I don’t regret it.

“I think it’s important as a young player that we show vulnerability and show that it’s okay to make mistakes, and as long as you learn from them, and obviously breaking a racquet and not hitting an umpire or anything like that, there is a certain extent to that, but just little stuff like that, I think it’s just important to show with that.”

Gauff has been smiling all week in Paris, enjoying the surroundings and the feel of the Roland-Garros clay under her feet. She seems relaxed, perhaps more than ever.

“I definitely think that’s true,” she said. “My parents told me the same thing. I don’t know why. I think just from having those tough losses in the past and I made the second week a lot of times. I really am just enjoying the tournament; enjoying life. I’m not thinking about, you know, the end result. I’m just enjoying the match ahead of me and whatever happens happens, it’s out of my control. I’m going to give it my best either way.”

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